The 100 Review: Blood Giant (Season 7 Episode 13)

I’m disappointed but not surprised. That is probably the best way to describe the feeling we have coming away from The 100 Season 7 Episode 13, “Blood Giant.”

Now that most of the main characters are back together and the Sanctum and Bardo storylines are starting to mingle, the overall story feels like it has some real weight to it and some stakes.

We finally see the breadcrumbs of Madi’s notebook, someone finally mentions that Gaia is missing, and Indra finally gets a chance to exact some revenge on Sheidheda. 

This is the kind of storytelling that The 100 has excelled at. It delivers plot-driven content where characters have to make choices. This season has largely been jerking us around to different planets and introducing us to new characters and concepts. 

After all that, “Blood Giant,” feels like coming home. It’s familiar. The red sun toxin, Josephine, and the flame are all elements that the audience is family with and the disparate threads are starting to come together in a cohesive fashion.

First, let’s talk about the flame. Gabriel is a character whose conversion I can buy into much more easily than Bellamy Blake’s. Gabriel is an old soul who has lived many lives and who is both wrestling with is past actions and wanting answers. 

He’s haunted, and his reactions to what’s at stake are much more compelling than some of the characters we’ve known for seven seasons. This is a problem with the season overall but also part of this episode’s strength.

The way Gabriel is able to mine his history with Josephine because of the red sun toxin stands in stark contrast to Bellamy. 

In most cases, this reunion would have been cause for celebration. Bellamy is back, and thanks to time dilation who knows how much time has actually passed. However, the fact that he’s now siding with the Shepherd makes his return awkward. 

There’s little to no interaction between him and anyone he meets after his time away, and while it’s disturbing, it leads into his impending death. 

The final moments, when Clarke shoots Bellamy are some of the most dramatic of the series to date, and rightfully so. Bellamy Blake is a beloved character who has been with us since the very beginning. If they were going to write him out it would need to be dramatic. 

Having Clarke pull the trigger is an upsetting moment, but it’s a good one too. While Bellamy is her friend Madi has been her priority for the last couple of seasons. Watching Bellamy choose Madi and clearly not be on her side is a punch in the gut, and may only serve to prove Shepherd’s point.

Watching Clarke sob in the final moments of the episode is heavy. She’s not only mourning Bellamy but the version of him that she lost; the one that would have gone with her plan to continue lying about the flame. 

The Bellamy that came back to Bardo after his time Etherea hasn’t been the same, and while that was disturbing there was also a lot that could have been unpacked. 

The change in him feels too drastic not to be unpacked, and the fact that we will never know some of what’s behind his change is something to be mourned. 

This season of The 100 has been dragging, and the fact that we’re seeing so much progress so close to the end is disappointing. These characters deserve a strong end, and while I’m confident the show might pull something together, it’s getting harder to keep the faith. 

(Sorry, not sorry, Shepherd.)

Stray Thoughts

• So now there is no flame. I am still thinking this final test is just going to come down to climate change or some other nonsense like that. 
• Echo is gonna be pissed. I am awaiting Tasya Tele’s performance, but that’s going to be an intense moment. 
• It was kind of nice to see Sheidheda and Indra working together, but I also don’t blame her for ordering the doctors not to treat him. There is a lot of trauma there, and like Josephine, the time of the commanders is supposed to be over, the flame is now gone again, and he doesn’t have Russell’s mind drive to back up onto. 
• Emori is turning into one of the characters with the best arcs. The fact that she’s able to see letting the shield down as a viable solution brings her time on The Ring to completion.
• The scene between Raven and Nikki is a powerful one. The performances are very strong and Raven definitely deserves moments of that caliber in the final episodes. 
• Is anyone else worried about Picasso making it out the season alive? 

What did you think of this episode of The 100? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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The 100 airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW.

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